Reproductive system diseases are among the primary contributors to the decline in social fertility rates and the intensification of aging, posing significant threats to both physical and mental health, as well as quality of life. Recent research has revealed the substantial potential of the gut microbiota in improving reproductive system diseases. Under healthy conditions, the gut microbiota maintains a dynamic balance, whereas dysfunction can trigger immune-inflammatory responses, metabolic disorders, and other issues, subsequently leading to reproductive system diseases through the gut-gonadal axis. Reproductive diseases, in turn, can exacerbate gut microbiota imbalance. This article reviews the impact of the gut microbiota and its metabolites on both male and female reproductive systems, analyzing changes in typical gut microorganisms and their metabolites related to reproductive function. The composition, diversity, and metabolites of gut bacteria, such as Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Firmicutes, including short-chain fatty acids, 5-hydroxytryptamine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and bile acids, are closely linked to reproductive function. As reproductive diseases develop, intestinal immune function typically undergoes changes, and the expression levels of immune-related factors, such as Toll-like receptors and inflammatory cytokines (including IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β), also vary. The gut microbiota and its metabolites influence reproductive hormones such as estrogen, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone, thereby affecting folliculogenesis and spermatogenesis. Additionally, the metabolism and absorption of vitamins can also impact spermatogenesis through the gut-testis axis. As the relationship between the gut microbiota and reproductive diseases becomes clearer, targeted regulation of the gut microbiota can be employed to address reproductive system issues in both humans and animals. This article discusses the regulation of the gut microbiota and intestinal immune function through microecological preparations, fecal microbiota transplantation, and drug therapy to treat reproductive diseases. Microbial preparations and drug therapy can help maintain the intestinal barrier and reduce chronic inflammation. Fecal microbiota transplantation involves transferring feces from healthy individuals into the recipient’s intestine, enhancing mucosal integrity and increasing microbial diversity. This article also delves into the underlying mechanisms by which the gut microbiota influences reproductive capacity through the gut-gonadal axis and explores the latest research in diagnosing and treating reproductive diseases using gut microbiota. The goal is to restore reproductive capacity by targeting the regulation of the gut microbiota. While the gut microbiota holds promise as a therapeutic target for reproductive diseases, several challenges remain. First, research on the association between gut microbiota and reproductive diseases is insufficient to establish a clear causal relationship, which is essential for proposing effective therapeutic methods targeting the gut microbiota. Second, although gut microbiota metabolites can influence lipid, glucose, and hormone synthesis and metabolism via various signaling pathways—thereby indirectly affecting ovarian and testicular function—more in-depth research is required to understand the direct effects of these metabolites on germ cells or granulosa cells. Lastly, the specific efficacy of gut microbiota in treating reproductive diseases is influenced by multiple factors, necessitating further mechanistic research and clinical studies to validate and optimize treatment regimens.

Local anesthetics (LAs), such as articaine (AT), exhibit limited efficacy in inflammatory environments, which constitutes a significant limitation in their clinical application within oral medicine. In our prior research, we developed AT-17, which demonstrated effective properties in chronic inflammatory conditions and appears to function as a novel oral LA that could address this challenge. In the present study, we further elucidated the beneficial effects of AT-17 in acute inflammation, particularly in oral acute inflammation, where mitochondrial-related apoptosis played a crucial role. Our findings indicated that AT-17 effectively inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nerve cell apoptosis by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro. This process involved the inhibition of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) production and the subsequent activation of the NRF2 pathway. Most notably, improvements in mitochondria-related apoptosis were key contributors to AT-17's inhibition of voltage-gated sodium channels. Additionally, AT-17 was shown to reduce mtROS production in nerve cells through the Na⁺/NCLX/ETC signaling axis. In conclusion, we have developed a novel local anesthetic that exhibits pronounced anesthetic functionality under inflammatory conditions by enhancing mitochondria-related apoptosis. This advancement holds considerable promise for future drug development and deepening our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of action.

Purpose::Shaping and assembling contemporary external fixators rapidly for the severe mandibular fractures remains a challenge, especially in emergency circumstance. We designed a novel external fixator that incorporates universal joints to provide the stabilization for mandibular comminuted fractures. This study aims to confirm the efficacy of this novel external fixator through biomechanical tests in vitro and animal experiments. Methods::In vitro biomechanical tests were conducted using 6 fresh canine with mandibular defect to simulate critical comminuted fractures. Three mandibles were stabilized by the novel external fixator and other mandibles were fixed by 2.5 mm reconstruction plates. All fixed mandibles were subjected to loads of 350 N on the anterior regions of teeth and 550 N on the first molar of the unaffected side. The stability was evaluated based on the maximum displacement and the slope of the load-displacement curve. In animal experiments, 9 beagles with comminuted mandibular fractures were divided into 3 groups, which were treated with the novel external fixation, reconstruction plate, and dental arch bar, respectively. The general observation, the changes in animals’ weight, and the surgical duration were recorded and compared among 3 groups. The CT scans were performed at various intervals of 0 day (immediately after the surgery), 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, and 28 days to analyze the displacement of feature points on the canine mandible and situation of fracture healing at 28 days. The statistical significance was assessed by the two-way analysis of variance test followed by the Bonferroni test, enabling multiple comparisons for all tests using GraphPad Prism10.1.0 (GraphPad Inc, USA). Results::The outcomes of the biomechanical tests indicated that no statistically significant differences were found in terms of the maximum displacement ( p = 0.496, 0.079) and the slope of load displacement curves ( p = 0.374, 0.349) under 2 load modes between the external and internal fixation groups. The animal experiment data showed that there were minor displacements of feature points between the external and internal fixation groups without statistic difference, while the arch bar group demonstrated inferior stability. The CT analysis revealed that the best fracture healing happened in the internal fixation group, followed by the external fixation and arch baring at 28 days after fixation. The external fixation group had the shortest fixation duration (25.67 ± 3.79) min compared to internal fixation ((70.67 ± 4.51) min, p < 0.001) and arch baring ((42.00 ± 3.00) min, p = 0.046). Conclusion::The conclusion of this study highlighted the efficacy and reliability of this novel external fixator in managing mandibular fractures rapidly, offering a viable option for the initial stabilization of comminuted mandibular fractures in the setting of emergency rescue.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are major outer membrane components of Gram-negative bacteria. Unlike most Gram-negative bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii can still survive and acquire polymyxin resistance after complete loss of LPS. Previous studies of LPS-deficient Acinetobacter baumannii mostly focused on LPS-deficient strains induced by polymyxin, whose background was complex and unstable. To investigate LPS loss-mediated polymyxin resistant-Acinetobacter baumannii, this study constructed a stable and clear background LPS-deficient strain by knocking out lpxC gene in Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606 with CIRSPR/Cas9, and then studied the phenotypic changes of the lpxC-deficient strain including morphology, growth rate, antibiotic susceptibility, virulence, membrane permeability, and membrane potential. Animal experiments were approved by the Animal Care and Welfare Committee Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, CAMS and PUMC (approval number: IMB-20240119D₉). The results indicated that the lpxC gene of Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606 was successfully knocked out. After losing the lpxC, the strain underwent the morphological change from rod-shaped to spherical. Furthermore, it leads to reduced growth rate, enhanced membrane permeability, decreased membrane potential, lower virulence, and increased antibiotic susceptibility to β-lactams, quinolones, aminoglycosides, macrolides, glycopeptides. The lpxC deletion results in significant changes in membrane homeostasis and adaptability of Acinetobacter baumannii. Understanding the phenotypic changes of colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii mediated by LPS loss is useful for exploring the resistance mechanism of Acinetobacter baumannii and developing new therapeutic strategies.

Objective A simple,sensitive and rapid ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS)method was developed and validated for the determination of ertapenem in human plasma.Methods Using ertapenem-D4 as internal standard,the protein in plasma was precipitated with acetonitrile;chromatographic column:ACQUITY HSS T3(2.1 mm × 50.0 mm,1.8 μm);the mobile phase was 0.1％formic acid aqueous solution(containing 2 mmol·L-1 ammonium formate)-acetonitrile(0.1％formic acid),using a gradient elution;flow rate:0.4 mL·min-1,injection volume:1 μL,column temperature:45 ℃,the analysis time was 4.5 min,the scanning mode is positive ion selective reaction monitoring mode(SRM)with an electric spray ion source(ESI).The specificity,standard curve and lower limit of quantification,precision and recovery,matrix effect,dilution effect and stability were investigated.Results Ertapenem had a good linearity within 0.5-80.0μg·mL-1,and the standard curve was y=4.25 × 10-1x-2.64× 10-2(r2=0.999 0),the lower limit of quantification was 0.5 μg·mL-1,the relative standard deviation within and between batches is 1.39％-4.15％.The extraction recovery rate was 58.36％-64.57％,and the relative standard deviation of dilution effect was 3.30％,and the matrix effect was 99.71％-103.23％.The relative standard deviation of room temperature,repeated freeze-thaw,4 ℃,and long-term stability are all less than 10％.Conclusion The method is sensitive,rapid and specific,which is suitable for clinical monitoring of Ertapenem.

Persistent left superior vena cava(PLSVC)is a common congenital anomaly of systemic venous drainage,often draining into the right atrium without the need for special treatment.Sometimes,PLSVC drains into the left atrium,creating a right-to-left shunt,leading to reduced blood oxygen saturation and paradoxical embolism,requiring intervention.Traditional surgical ligation of PLSVC is the conventional approach for managing abnormal shunting,but it is associated with significant trauma and carries the risk of damaging the phrenic nerve.Here,we present a case of a patient with right heart dysfunction due to an untreated PLSVC-left atrium communication after corrective surgery for complex congenital heart disease,resulting in left-to-right shunting postoperatively.The patient was successfully treated by using a Plug vascular occluder via a transseptal approach to occlude the PLSVC.To our knowledge,this is the first report of successful closure of the left-to-right shunting through the heart chambers via a transseptal approach,indicating that interventional occlusion is an ideal management approach.

Low-level patent foramen ovale nonocclusion(PFO)is a rare type of PFO in which the PFO opening is low during transcatheter closure of PFO and the distance between the PFO left atrial opening and the root of the septal side of the mitral valve is less than 9 mm,and the smallest model of the current double-disk PFO occluder(18/18)commonly used in clinical practice for low-level PFOs can touch the mitral valve,resulting in increased risk of mitral regurgitation or leaflet abrasion.The risk of mitral regurgitation or leaflet abrasion is increased,and transcatheter closure of PFO procedure can only be abandoned when encountered intraoperatively.In this article,we present a case of successful transcatheter closure of a low-level PFO using the Amplatzer ADOⅡ occluder,which provides new ideas and strategies to deel wtih this rare type of PFO.

Objective To evaluate the accuracy of three-dimensional(3D)reconstruction of the gallbladder volume based on computed tomography(CT)images and study the biomechanical changes in gallbladder motility to explore the relationship between gallbladder dynamics and gallstone formation.Methods A method for calculating gallbladder volume based on CT 3D reconstruction of The gallbladder model was proposed and compared with the ellipsoid method.A finite element model of the gallbladder was constructed for fluid dynamics analysis to simulate changes in gallbladder motor function under different angles of convergence between the cystic and common bile ducts and in the presence of gallstones.Results The mean errors of the specific gallbladder model volume and ellipsoid volume of the 50 patients were 7.26％and 25.35％,respectively.During the refilling period,the maximum pressure,deformation,and flow velocity of the pear-shaped gallbladder were significantly higher than those of the gourd-shaped gallbladder.The angle between the gallbladder and common bile duct had little effect on the bile flow pattern,and the maximum bile flow rate was reached at an angle of 120°.The bile flow velocity of the gallbladder with calculus was lower than that of the gallbladder without calculus,and there was a vortex near the calculus.Conclusions Calculating gallbladder volume based on CT 3D reconstruction is more accurate than the ellipsoid method.Compared with a pear-shaped gallbladder,a gourd-shaped gallbladder has lower gallbladder wall contraction,bile flow rate,and poor motor function.The bile flow rate in the gallbladder is slow,which is more likely to lead to the enlargement of gallstones or the formation of new gallstones.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis(PM),and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)isolates in Chinese children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information,laboratory data,and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.Results Among the 160 children with PM,there were 103 males and 57 females.The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years,with 109 cases(68.1% )aged 3 months to under 3 years.SP strains were isolated from 95 cases(59.4% )in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases(35.6% )in blood cultures.The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87)and 27% (21/78),respectively.Fifty-five cases(34.4% )had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis,113 cases(70.6% )had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci,and 18 cases(11.3% )had underlying diseases.The most common clinical symptoms were fever(147 cases,91.9% ),followed by lethargy(98 cases,61.3% )and vomiting(61 cases,38.1% ).Sixty-nine cases(43.1% )experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization,with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication[43 cases(26.9% )],followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases(15.0% ),brain abscess in 23 cases(14.4% ),and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases(5.0% ).Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old,with rates of 91% (39/43)and 83% (20/24),respectively.SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin(100% ,75/75),linezolid(100% ,56/56),and meropenem(100% ,6/6).High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin(81% ,22/27),moxifloxacin(82% ,14/17),rifampicin(96% ,25/26),and chloramphenicol(91% ,21/23).However,low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin(16% ,11/68)and clindamycin(6% ,1/17),and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin(100% ,31/31).The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.2% (106/160),respectively,while 18 cases(11.3% )had adverse outcomes.Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years.Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old.Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM,and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates.Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases.SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin,linezolid,meropenem,levofloxacin,moxifloxacin,rifampicin,and chloramphenicol.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):131-138]

Objective:To establish and validate a gallstones classification method based on deep learning.Methods:A total of 618 gallstones samples were collected from East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, and 1 023 high-definition cross-sectional gallstones profile images were captured to construct a cross-sectional gallstones profile image dataset. Based on the traditional eight-category gallstones classification method, a lightweight network model, MobileNet V3, was trained using deep learning and transfer learning methods. The classification performance of MobileNet was evaluated using a confusion matrix with metrics such as accuracy rate, precision rate, F1 score, and recall rate. The MobileNet V3 was improved and further validated using accuracy and loss values.Results:The accuracy rate (94.17%), precision rate (94.03%), F1 score (92.96%) and recall rate (92.99%) of the improved MobileNet V3 model were better than other networks. The improved MobileNet V3 model achieved the highest accuracy rate (94.17%) in gallstones profile classification and was validated by the test set. The confusion matrix showed a weighted average of accuracy rate (92.0%), precision rate (92.6%), and F1 score (92.2%) for each category of gallstones.Conclusions:Based on deep learning, a high-accuracy gallstones classification method is proposed, which provides a new idea for the intelligent identification of gallstones.